How Lo Can You Go? Ralph Lauren’s Stadium Collection 2017

If you were old enough to cross the street by yourself in the 80’s and into the earliest part of the 90’s then chances are you remember the Stadium Collection from Ralph Lauren and by now you know its back. By now you also know the lo life history and its influence on modern day lo appreciation which is more than likely why there are dudes on eBay getting 1500+ for the pull over,

nearly 500 for the rugby

and asking prices of 5 grand on the trench

giving Ralph Lauren a sort of Supreme-esq demand (for now). But really, is that what Ralph Lauren is striving for? To be like Supreme? No doubt, RL has some serious heat in their archival – design that for the most part should have been re-issued by now- but with releases that will cater mostly to a much younger crowd that can camp outside of a store on a workday will that turn off the very demographic that made the brand what it is? Possibly and that isn’t good long term. While reports have been circulating of Ralph Lauren’s financial problems there is no doubt that they continue to have a very loyal consumer base, one that should be given a little more respect than to line up outside of a store for a CHANCE to possibly win the ability to purchase product. No doubt the current stadium collection looks great

with all the warm fuzzies you had as a kid salivating at the prospect of one day owning these cotton picasso’s, but as Jordan Brand is finding out the term “limited edition” can kill demand for your bread and butter. Make all the dope stuff really hard to get and guess what? No one wants your regular stuff, not at anything close to full price anyway. Nope, your consumer base goes from brand appreciation to chasing the next limited edition piece from your brand or another it doesn’t matter.

Ralph Lauren exec’s should also take note that Jebbia and Supreme never purposely make anything extremely limited with Jebbia quoted as saying in this 2 interview with interview magazine that:

“We’ve never really been supply-demand anyway. It’s not like when we’re making something, we make only six of them. But if we can sell 600, I make 400. We’ve always been like that—at least for the past seven or eight years.”